Her Small-Town Sheriff

Heidi remained silent.

“Heidi?” Carson said in a stern voice. “You need to talk. And cut the rude routine.”

Heidi seemed to collapse in on herself as her narrow shoulders slumped. Tears formed in the girl’s blue eyes, and her face crumbled.

Phoebe’s heart went out to Heidi, and she looked at Carson, frowning, trying to tell him nonverbally that she didn’t like upsetting his daughter.

Reading her language perfectly, he gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head. No go.

With effort, Phoebe hardened her heart just a bit; she would undoubtedly be helping Heidi more by not cutting her any more slack. Rough for a softie like her, but doable.

Carson focused his attention back on his daughter, who now had tears streaming down her cheeks. His gaze softened, and he reached out and rubbed her upper arm. “Heidi, I know this is hard for you, but you need to speak to Ms. Sellers.”

Heidi sobbed, her shoulders shaking, and then looked up, her eyes swimming in tears. “I’m…sorry for…what I did yesterday,” she said in a halting voice. “I know it was…wrong, and I won’t ever…do it again.”

Phoebe’s eyes watered and her throat tightened. She looked at the paperwork on her desk, trying to get control. She yanked a tissue out of the box on desk and handed it to Heidi.

Then Phoebe shifted her gaze to Carson. For just a moment, his daughter’s agony was reflected in his eyes, and he looked like a concerned dad with mushy guts, one who loved his daughter and hated upsetting her, but knew that a dad had to do what a dad had to do.

Swallowing, Phoebe said, “Thank you for your apology, Heidi, and I accept it. I know coming here wasn’t easy, and I appreciate you making the effort.”

Heidi finally looked right at her, nodding. “You’re welcome.”

“I’ve talked to Heidi,” Carson said. “And she’s aware that she will be working here after school for the next few days.” He turned to Heidi. “Right?”

She heaved out a sigh, defiance making a show. “Do I have to?”

“Yep, you do, honey,” he said firmly, but not harshly. “You do the crime, you do the time, remember?”

Heidi pursed her lips. “Dad, you’ve said that to me about a thousand times.”

“And I’ll say it a thousand more times if I need to,” he replied. Then he cracked a small, wry smile that softened the stress lines tightening his face. “Maybe even a million.” He gave Heidi a playful nudge on the shoulder. “You never know.”

To Phoebe’s relief, his comment seemed to break the ice, and the tension in the room eased a bit more.

And Carson Winters rose a notch in her eyes.

“Daaaaad,” Heidi said, wiping at her eyes with the tissue Phoebe had given her. “Don’t be so weird.”

“Who, me?” he said, his voice brimming with teasing, exaggerated innocence. Then he waggled his eyebrows and made a goofy face. “Are you sayin’ I’m a weirdo?”

Heidi’s lips curved into an itty-bitty smile. “A big one,” she said, rolling her eyes, but in what looked like a playful way.

He gave Phoebe a rueful look, shaking his head. “I’m sure I’m not the first father to be called weird, and I’m sure I won’t be the last.”

“No, I’m sure you won’t,” Phoebe replied, glad to see the stress level between father and daughter evening out. At least temporarily. “So,” she said to Heidi. “Just come here after school tomorrow, all right?”

Heidi nodded her assent, and then all three of them rose. Phoebe gestured for Heidi to precede her out, and as soon as Heidi was out of earshot, Carson snagged Phoebe’s elbow with a gentle hand.

Warmth spread in tingles up her arm as she turned a questioning gaze to him.

“Listen,” he said, “I really appreciate you working with Heidi on this.”

Up close, she saw that his brown eyes were flecked with the barest hint of gold. Fighting the urge to stare, she focused her gaze on his nose. “I sense she’s a good kid who’s had a tough time lately. As I said before, the move had to be hard on her.”

Nodding, Carson ran a hand through his hair, then put his hat back on. As he did, he said softly, “Unfortunately, there’s a lot more to it than that.”

Phoebe blinked, so surprised by his unexpected comment she wasn’t sure what to say.

At her silence, he continued on, his voice low and taut. “Heidi’s mom took off over a year ago, divorced me, and we haven’t seen her since.”

Her heart knotted. “Oh, wow, I’m so sorry.” She touched his arm briefly, trying to offer even a small amount of comfort. Obviously they’d been through the wringer. “That explains a lot.”

“Yeah.” He shook his head. “I shouldn’t have said anything…”

“No, I’m glad you did.”

“I guess I just wanted you to know why Heidi is having such a rough time, and why she’s acting out. She’s not a bad kid.”

“Thank you for your honesty, and for the record, I never thought she was a bad kid.” She knew it hadn’t come easy for him to admit the truth.

“You’re welcome,” he said, looking right at her.

She met his tawny gaze, and for just a moment, she couldn’t look away, could barely even breathe. Her stomach dropped, and her legs trembled. Oh, wow. Where in the world had he gotten those unbelievable eyes…?

“C’mon, Dad. I have homework,” Heidi called impatiently, breaking the spell.

Carson looked away, clearing his throat. “Guess I gotta go.”

All Phoebe could do was nod.

She followed him out to the front of the store, her cheeks warm. Phoebe stood there for a long moment after they left, unable to forget the tears in Heidi’s eyes and the worry lines creasing Carson’s face.

Empathy gushed through her.

Granted, she wasn’t a parent, and wouldn’t presume she could give Carson much advice on that front. But she had been a twelve-year-old girl once. And even though she hadn’t been through the heartbreaking childhood trauma Heidi had, Phoebe had lost someone she’d loved fairly recently, just as Heidi had essentially lost her mom.

And Phoebe sure knew how much such a devastating loss could tear a person apart and leave them feeling as if nothing would ever be the same again.

As if their world had crumbled into a million pieces.

Maybe she could help them through their troubles in the coming weeks. Talk to Heidi, commiserate a bit. Offer a shoulder to Carson…

Horrified by her thoughts, she closed her eyes and shook her head. No. Absolutely not. What was she thinking? Getting too involved with the Winterses would be a huge mistake, and would definitely force her into a personal space she didn’t want to be in.

With that thought forefront in her mind, she straightened her shoulders and headed back to her office to return to the paperwork stacking up on her desk.

As she fired up her computer, she promised herself that she would work with Heidi because Carson had asked her to and because presenting a consequence to Heidi was the right thing to do. But after that, Phoebe would be content to say hello to them casually around town once in a while. Nothing more.